The demand of modern consumers for vehicles that have increased efficiency and are capable of shifting gears very smoothly has increased dramatically. To meet such a demand, manufacturers of vehicles increasing a number of transmission gears to smooth shifting. Increasing the number of transmission gears enables one to distribute a total gear ratio spread over a higher number of gears, resulting in a better approximation of an optimal traction curve and thus the vehicle has a higher available torque. However, such an approach requires a complex hardware and controls arrangement. An object of the present invention is to provide a more responsive driveline without the need for a more complex transmission.
A conventional driveline for a vehicle includes a power source (such as an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or a combination of the two), a transmission (manual or automatic), and a differential drivingly engaged with a pair of axle half shafts. The transmission and the differential are necessary to achieve a torque multiplication between the powers source and the pair of axle half shafts. As a non-limiting example, a typical passenger vehicle has a reduction a ratio of 3-4 between the power source and the pair of axle half shafts. Such a reduction ratio may introduce high torques on a drive shaft and other mechanical parts (such as prop shafts and constant velocity joints).
It would be advantageous to develop a driveline having a transmission capable of shifting gears smoothly without increasing a complexity of the transmission that reduces high torques on components of the driveline.